Pride and Prejudice
May 2006 Reviewed by: Charlotte Meyer Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice may be the mother of all romance novels. It was written in 1813, when courtship was governed by rules so rigid that, before betrothal, a couple could scarcely hold hands or exchange a letter. Nevertheless, the romance of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy appeals to every new generation of readers. There is no stopping the flood of literary sequels, adaptations, websites, blogs, miniseries and movies. Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bride and Prejudice demonstrate how diverse the adaptations have been.

This most recent filming of Pride and Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth and Matthew Macfadyen as Darcy, received Oscar nominations for best actress, art direction, musical score, and costumes. Although it won none of the four, each of those elements in the film is memorable. It was beautifully shot by Roman Oshin in the verdant English countryside, alongside a misty lake, under ancient trees, in a quaint village, and on a stunning Elizabethan estate. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet (Donald Sutherland and Brenda Blethyn) and their five eligible daughters occupy an actual 18th-century British homestead, which is chaotic, a little run-down, and authentic. By director Joe Wright’s admission, however, the costuming is not authentic to Austen’s Regency period, but it uses a pretty palette of colors, and it serves to mark the class of the characters.

Music critic Andy Trudeau notes that most so-called "Austen scores" have three elements: "a taste of the English countryside, music of classical elegance [recurring themes from 17th Century English composer Henry Purcell], and a dramatic sequence." Dario Marianelli’s score is "solidly right in that tradition." Classical pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet plays the dramatic sequences. The score will especially please the home-theater audience. Dialogue, however, was occasionally muddled, and this was not just as a result of the English accents.

The bonus features are predictable: comments from the actors and director praising each other, an informative short on Jane Austen’s life and work, a short feature on the sets, the director’s voice-over commentary throughout the film, and an HBO extended trailer called "First Look."

Focus Features gave the Jane Austen Society a sneak preview of the film and weren’t happy they did. Some in the Society would have emphatically refused Keira Knightley her Oscar nomination. The Lizzie that Knightley plays is giggly, moody, and self-absorbed, unlike the witty, self-possessed Elizabeth of the book. The best way to enjoy Knightley’s performance -- and this film as a whole -- is to forget there is a novel at all.

If you are a "Janeite" and want an authentic dramatization of the novel, the best is the 1995 BBC miniseries available on DVD, starring Colin Firth as an unforgettable Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as a fire-and-ice Elizabeth. Because it runs 300 minutes, it can explore complexities of plot and character. When it aired over its six-week run in England, it had the largest audience ever, so faithful was it to the book. And so far, it is the remarkable book itself that lives on, outlasting every one of its many film adaptations.

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